The Status Of Women In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

During Chaucer’s time, relationships had a specific norm. Women were to depend on their husbands for both their protection and survival. Women were categorized as saints or sinners based entirely by their actions. The two common representations for these categories are Eve and the Virgin Mary, which Eve was to be the downfall of men where Mary, mother of Christ, was the symbolic vision of purity. Chaucer also describes in the prologue the characteristics of the wife, which all of what he mentions would be considered a woman of lust, high self-confidence, and overall power-hungry attitude. It is also shown how people used God as a justification of one’s actions in Chaucer’s time, claiming that this was God’s will. Women in that age sought to …show more content…
However, it caused such an uproar the king took action and sentenced the knight to be beheaded. Luckily he was shown mercy by the grace of the queen, but was to stand trial to a court of women and to seek the answer of what women desire the most within a year’s time. “He knocked at every house, searched every place, yes anywhere that offered hope of grace… Some said that women wanted wealth and treasure, “Honor,” said some, some “Jollity and pleasure,” Some said “Gorgeous clothes” and others “Fun in bed,” “To be ofted widowed and remarried,” said Others again, and some that what most mattered Was that we should be cossetted and flattered.” He learns many different desires of women, but all of the answers he has come across over the year weren’t correct. Before standing trial, the knight makes a deal with an elderly woman, who would save his life in exchange to be his wife. “A woman wants the self-same sovereignty over her husband as over her lover, and masters him; he must not be above her.” This was the correct answer that the queen was looking since it means that a woman wants to be equal to her husband. After the trial was over, he marries the elderly woman but expresses how miserable he is and voices his repulsion of her age and lack of beauty to her. The elderly woman then turns into a beautiful yet good, …show more content…
The wife can be viewed more idealistically, believing bad people can become good. However, she could also be viewed as a cynical character, unwilling to trust men. The two transformations shown by both the knight and her are only on the surface though. The knight changing his shallow behavior as the elderly woman turns into something of physical desire, granting the knight what he wants and believes he